Details emerge of Banksy's Sydney visit

By Richard Jinman Arts Editor

IT IS unclear why the celebrated British graffiti artist Banksy chose the wall of an organic food co-operative in Enmore as his Sydney canvas. Perhaps he likes biodynamic ricotta?

Residents say the metre-high painting of a man wearing an old-fashioned diving helmet appeared on the wall of Alfalfa House in Enmore Road five years ago. It is almost identical to a Banksy image that appeared in a lane in central Melbourne at roughly the same time.

The Melbourne diver is reversed, suggesting the famously elusive British artist - not even his agent has met him - flipped his paper stencil after soaking one side with paint during the creation of the Sydney image.

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The sale of a Banksy design on a wall in Notting Hill in London for £208,000 ($455,000) this week suggests the wall of Alfalfa House may be more valuable than all the organic figs and cacao butter inside. Unfortunately, the members of the co-operative do not own the building.

"No one's ever mentioned it [the painting] to be honest," Alfalfa's information co-ordinator, Stevie Bee, said. "But we are looking at putting a mural on that wall, so if we've already got a famous bit we'll have to look at incorporating it."

More details of Banksy's Sydney visit emerged yesterday after the Herald contacted a member of the secretive graffiti art community through a third party. He confirmed the British artist had visited Sydney before travelling to Melbourne and created several works including a design at Bondi Beach that read, "Warning, Buried Treasure!"

The two men also paid a clandestine, after-hours visit to Taronga Zoo, because Banksy wanted to photograph a monkey holding one his designs. The primates refused to co-operate and the pair were "chased" out of the zoo by security staff.

Tugi Balog, who founded the curated street art gallery in Mays Lane, St Peters, believes "about three or four" examples of Banksy's work still exist in Sydney. Graffiti artists keep their whereabouts secret because there are fears the rocketing price of Banksy's work means they might be broken out of the walls on which they are painted.

"He [Banksy] painted with a few people I know and he's kept in touch with them," Balog said. "But within that culture they keep it quiet - they don't want too many to know about it."